Opening the webinar AgriSearch Vice Chair Ian McCluggage outlined the considerable amount of work that AgriSearch had done in a relatively short time frame to respond to the NAP Consultation. This included presentations at an AgriSearch event at the Balmoral Show. He thanked Dr Sinclair Mayne for the considerable amount of work he had put into helping AgriSearch respond to the consultation including an in-depth critique of the science behind the proposals. Ian said that AgriSearch was coordinating its actions with key industry stakeholders.
The NAP farm impact calculator has been developed by AgriSearch to help farmers assess the impact of the measures proposed for the 2026-2029 DAERA Nutrients Action Programme. The calculator is now available for download from the AgriSearch website:
During the webinar AgriSearch Strategy Manager Jason Rankin outlined the calculations that the tool performs and gave a practical, step-by-step guide on how to download and use the calculator and interpret the results.
This includes a calculation of the organic nitrogen loading (using the updated figures for dairy cows) which will determine if a farmer falls into the “intensive” category or will require a derogation. The calculator also determines the farm’s proposed allowance for chemical N fertiliser and indicates if this is above or below the farm’s current usage. Finally, the calculator works out the farm’s phosphorus balance and indicates how many extra hectares or the extent of the stocking rate cut needed to achieve both the 10kgP/ha and 8kgP/ha limit.
Jason Rankin then went through a number of dairy farm case studies illustrating how different types of farm might be impacted by the NAP proposals. AgriSearch’s Agriculture Manager John Morrow then went through two examples of beef and sheep farming systems. This was followed by a question and answer session.
Closing the webinar Ian McCluggage said that AgriSearch would be working with industry partners to gather a number of farm case studies from across the ruminant livestock sector. These will be used as part of a wider economic impact assessment. He encouraged farmers to participate if approached and emphasised that all such case studies would be kept anonymous.
Link to the recording of the webinar: https://youtu.be/T1D7GbwRhbY
Link to the view the slides from the webinar